


Burning Embers

by Shippings_galore



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, BAMF Avengers, BAMF Bucky Barnes, BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF Tony Stark, BAMF Women, Canon deaths, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Howard Stark Lives, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic Tony stark, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, Protective Avengers, Protective Steve, Tony Feels, Tony Stark-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2019-10-24 17:41:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17708759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shippings_galore/pseuds/Shippings_galore
Summary: “We will give you an option, Anthony. You either marry Prince Tiberius or we host The Trials.” Howard glared at his son.Tony glared back, then picked up his glass of wine to hide the tremble in his hands. He knew that what his father said was true. He wasn’t strong enough to rule his kingdom. He wasn’t mature enough. But Tony didn’t want to marry anyone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired at the thought of Tony being Prince and having to hide powers he was born with.

“What?” Tony repeated for what felt like the 100th time.

“God, Anthony. Are you that thick? I said you are getting married.” Howard snapped before taking a drink from his glass of wine. 

“No I’m not.” Tony spat out, food long forgotten. 

“Anthony, you will need to get married by the end of this year, if you want this kingdom to succeed, if you want to keep our people happy and safe, you will have to do it.” Obadiah said from his seat across the long dining table. 

“I- of course I want this kingdom to flourish, but not like this. You can’t marry me off. I’m not a political pawn.” Tony said, his voice cold, unwavering. 

“We will give you an option, Anthony. You either marry Prince Tiberius or we host The Trials.” Howard glared at his son. 

Tony glared back, then picked up his glass of wine to hide the tremble in his hands. He knew that what his father said was true. He wasn’t strong enough to rule his kingdom. He wasn’t mature enough. But Tony didn’t want to marry someone. 

_ His people needed him, though. They needed a strong ruler.  _

“Mom wouldn’t have wanted this for me.” Tony tried one last futile attempt. 

There was a crash, then a glass shattered. Tony didn’t flinch. He kept his eyes downcast as his father raised his hand. He didn’t cry out when a sting on his cheek bloomed into the burn of a forest fire. He didn’t raise his hand to wipe the blood that trickled from his split lip. 

“You do not speak of your mother. Do you hear me, you self obsessed brat.” Howard growled in his face before sitting back in his chair. 

“Yes father.” Tony fumed before standing up, “If you’ll excuse m-”

“You have till tomorrow at breakfast to tell us your decision, Anthony. Do not let me down.” Howard sighed as he served himself another glass of wine. 

Tony grunted and walked out of the dining hall. His blood boiled underneath his skin, and he felt the tell tale signs that meant he needed to go down to his workshop immediately. Or go talk to his friends in the guard quarters. Maybe even spar with them. He just needed to let go of some steam before he lost control of his actions. 

Familiar footsteps followed behind him, and Tony relaxed at the sound of the heavy boots hitting the oak floor. 

“Tony.” 

The prince turned to face his friend and smiled softly, “Rhodey. Hi.” 

“You left before I- you’re bleeding.” Rhodey’s jaw twitched, “He did it again didn’t he?” 

“Of course he did.” Tony rolled his eyes and winced when Rhode touched his already bruising face.

“Come on.” Rhodey nodded towards the elevator, once inside Tony pushed the button leading to the guards quarters. 

They quietly walked to their destination, Tony in the lead, his back straight and chin high. Rhodey stayed in the back, his footsteps radiating power and strength, one hand on his sword, the other on his hand gun. When they entered the room, almost every guard froze, then stood on alert for their Prince. Tony shook his head and cracked a smile at them, signaling that they didn’t need to act like that. 

He quietly let Rhodey lead him to the designated living room and kitchen that was built in to huge room and smiled brighter when he saw his other friends there too. They all turned to grin but stopped short at the bruise and the newly bleeding lip. Natasha, one of the few female guards, calmly pulled out a first aid kit from seemingly out of nowhere. 

Bucky, who was closest to the fridge, opened the freezer side and pulled out an ice pack. Sam, Bucky’s boyfriend, gave up his seat for Tony to sit in. 

“I hate that man.” Steve, beautiful Steve, hissed as he gently touched Tony’s cheek. 

He remembered the first time he had seen Howard hit Tony. They hadn’t gotten along then, Steve had heard how the prince was selfish and arrogant. A pompous asshole. Tony had only been 17 when they met, Steve only 18. He remembered Tony standing in front of his father, showing off his latest Security Dragon with bright eyes and a prideful smile. After a few short and cold words from Howard, Tony’s smile disappeared and his eyes hardened.

_ “No.” Tony snapped.  _

_ “I never asked. It’s an order.” Howard grunted as he ran his hands over the dragon’s neck.  _

_ “This isn’t a weapon. It isn’t made for war.” Tony gritted out, his eyes locked on Howard's hand.  _

_ “It’s a dragon.” Howard glared, “It screams war.”  _

_ “It’s supposed to scare people away. It’s supposed to carry people out of the line of fire. Never actually fight another dragon.” Tony argued.  _

_ Steve glanced at Rhodes, who began to get tenser by the second. Watched as his superior tighten his hold on his gun, but averted his eyes from what was about to happen.  _

_ The sound of flesh hitting flesh startled the new recruit, which was then followed by a series of crashes. He watched in horror as the king kicked his fallen son two times. Rhodes gripped his shoulder to stop Steve from doing something that he would regret. Like punching the king.  _

_ “I said it’s an order.” Howard spat.  _

_ After a few tense seconds Tony’s voice rang out, unwavering, “They aren’t going to war.” _

“I’m fine.” Tony insisted as Natasha dabbed a wet towel to his lip. 

She gave him a hard look for a split second before continuing her work. After a tense silence, she finished then handed him the pack of ice. He didn’t protest as he pressed the ice to his cheek. They watched him silently, waiting patiently to tell them what caused the fight. 

“He wants to marry me off.” Tony admitted after a while. 

A chorus of surprised outcries followed. 

“Told me it was my job.” Tony continued, “To help the kingdom. Keep the people safe.” 

“That’s ridiculous. You aren’t a political pawn.” Sam growled, his hands clenched around a glass of orange juice.

“Oh I know. I’m not getting married. I’m not going to sell myself to some snobby prince or king that won’t care about me.” Tony put the ice pack down, “Tiberius Stone.” 

Beside him, Steve choked before turning his blazing eyes to Tony, “What?” 

“Yeah.” Tony nodded, “There’s no way in hell I’m marrying that dick.” 

Everyone knew who that was. It was the same guy that almost forced himself on Tony just a year back, at a ball. And the same guy who almost slapped Pepper, but was stopped short when Tony took the hit instead.

“But.” Natasha pressed. 

“But they also gave me the option to host The Trials.” Tony explained, “Which hasn’t been done in years!” 

“Why?” Sam asked, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. 

“Too many injuries and casualties.” Rhodey answered quietly. 

Tony tapped his foot on the ground in frustration. Obadiah had probably suggested that to his father. He was an advisor after all. He was in charge of helping Howard run the kingdom, which usually meant he was right. Not this time though. Definitely not this time. 

“I have to choose what we will do tomorrow at breakfast. Whatever I choose will be good for the people. I have to keep you all safe. But there is no way I’m getting married.” Tony declared as he stood up, “Howard has no control over my life.” 

“So what’s the plan?” Steve grinned. 

“Right now? I need to spar. I have so much anger pent up right now. Natasha? Want to kick my ass?” 

“I always do.” 

“Great. Let me go change. Rhodey?” Tony clapped his hands together and jumped on the balls of his feet. 

“Let’s go.” 

Once Tony was ready for a beating, they made their way to the training floor of the skyscraper they resided in. Tony looked around for his friends in the gym, and caught Steve with his back facing towards him. The prince grinned before running towards him and jumped into his back. Steve didn’t even flinch, instead he laughed reached back to grip Tony’s legs. 

“You ready Stark?” Natasha grinned predatorily as she walked towards the sparring mat. 

“Yeah!” Tony jumped off of Steve before walking towards Natasha. 

After an hour of getting his asshanded to him, Tony tapped out, his chest heaving, and skin glistening with sweat. Rhodey handed him a water bottle and Tony downed it in one go. 

“So what did you learn today, Tony?” Natasha leaned over him. 

“To never get you angry. You missed your calling at being a spy.” 

“Bold of you to assume that she isn’t one already.” Sam chimed in as he jogged past, Steve not far behind. 

“Wouldn’t be surprised.” Tony teased and grunted as Natasha slapped his tired bicep. 

Rhodey frowned and stepped back as he raised his hand to his ear that had his comm. He quickly answered back, his voice hard as steel. His tone attracted the attention of Natasha, Sam, and Steve who turned to look at their Colonel. Tony slowly pushed himself up from his laying position and stared at his best friend.  

“Obadiah wants you in his office.” Rhodey told Tony. 

“Tell him I’m busy.” 

“He isn’t taking no for an answer.” 

“Fuck. Fine. Tell him I’m coming.” Tony ground out as he walked off the mat. 

With a quick wave, the two friends walked out and headed towards Obadiah’s office. Tony paused in front of the door before glancing at his friend. Rhodey had fallen into his role as Tony’s personal guard, face blank and hands gripping his weapons. With a huff he opened the door and stepped inside, his gut twisting at the tension in the air. 

“Tony! Please sit!” the advisor said with a grin. 

“I don’t have time. And I thought we had agreed that you call me Anthony, Stane.” Tony glanced at his watch. 

“Come on, Tony. I know you’re angry about the news this morning but you need to step up. Be the king your father wishes you were.” Stane continued.

Tony scoffed, “You know I could care less what my father thinks or wishes I should be.” 

“Then do it for Maria.” 

Tony sucked in a breath before glaring down at the man behind the desk, “Will that be all? I have places to be.” 

Obadiah poured himself a glass of whiskey and stared down at the amber liquid, “I have more news. If you do not choose either of the options your father gave you, you will be given a suitor. Usually someone who your father trusts”

“I’m not marrying Stone.” Tony slammed his hand on the sleek desk. 

“I’m not talking about Prince Tiberius.” Stane smirked before slowly dragging his eyes over Tony’s body, and drank from his glass. 

Tony felt his blood run cold, his heart hammered against his chest. He felt like he had been hit again. With a metal covered hand. Rhodey took a step back in shock. 

“You don’t mean-” 

“The Law says if a heir is not married by 23, or at least engaged, he should marry the trusted advisor.” Stane grinned, before glancing down at his phone, “Prince Anthony, I have a meeting to attend. I do hope our talk helped clear the air. Have a good day.” 

Tony flinched at the hand that squeezed his shoulder, but stayed in his spot till the door closed behind him. 

“Tony?” Rhodey whispered, voice wavering with shock. 

“I-I need to head to the workshop.” Tony whispered before quickly leaving the room. And he ran. He ran as quickly as he could down to his workshop. 

“Lockdown, JARVIS.” Tony ordered as the doors of his workshop slid closed and made his way to the back of the room. 

He felt the familiar tingle at the tip of his fingers. The rush of blood. He walked towards his testing area. Then he slowly raised his right hand. He felt the anger course through his body and focused on it, moved it, ignited it. His arm engulfed in blue flames, and he stared down at it for a second. Then with an enraged scream, Tony pointed at the nearest test dummy and let the fire explode and burn it. 

No tears. 

_ Stark men don’t cry. _

He watched as the doll slowly melted. His first Security Dragon that he ever invented whined from his position at Tony’s desk. As quickly as the fire came, it diminished, leaving a partially melted and still on fire doll. His dragon, no bigger than Tony was, walked over and opened his mouth to release the fire prevention foam. 

“Sorry, Dum-E.” Tony whispered as he petted the cold head

The black metal robot whirred and leaned into the touch. The prince sighed and glanced down at his free hand, letting a small blue flame dance on his palm. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late! I’ve got so many fics on my plate and an AU thread on twitter.

Tony woke up on his own. He raised his head from the keyboard and looked around. DUM-E was curled up in his charging pod. U was in his charging pod too. There was a light nudge on his leg. 

“Hey girl. How are you?” Tony smiled sleepily at Butterfingers. 

The little robotic dragon let out a small beep, then looked over at the door to the lab.

“Oh. Okay. You go rest up.” 

The dragon nodded before flying over to her pod. 

“Let him in, J.” Tony yawned and scratched the back of his head. 

“fUCK!” 

Tony jumped and looked over just as Steve fell over, body hitting the ground with a loud thump. They both froze for a solid minute before they burst into fits of hysterical laughter. Tony gripped the edge of his desk with one hand, while the other held his stomach as a twinge of pain began to bloom. 

“Th-that was too funny. Jarvis! Did you get that?” Tony wheezed as he wiped the tears from his face. 

“I always do.” The AI responded, a tone of amusement making his voice light. 

“Sure don’t ask if I’m okay or anything.” Steve managed to say as little bursts of laughter shook his shoulders. 

“Sorry, sorry. Are you okay? What were you even doing here?” Tony walked over and and helped his friend to his feet. 

“I’m fine. I came to check up on you. Rhodey was worried.” Steve shrugged then winced. 

Tony narrowed his eyes, “Steve, how long have you been sitting there?” 

“Oh. What time is it?” Steve looked at the ceiling. 

“It is currently 6 in the morning, Captain.” Jarvis responded. 

“About 2 hours. I would’ve come as soon as I found out what happened but Rhodey said to give you some space.” Steve explained. 

“2 hours? Steve, this is concrete floor! How’s your back?” Tony placed his hand instinctively on Steve’s waist. 

“I’m fine. Just a bit sore. Are you okay?” Steve looked over at the destroyed testing area. 

“Oh that. There was a miscalibration on one of my projects. Wait did you say 6 am?” 

“6:42 in the morning to be exact, Sir.” Jarvis chirped in.

“Oh shit! I’m late for breakfast!” Tony exclaimed before quickly walking out of the lab.

“Tony, hey slow down.” Steve called behind him. 

“Shit sorry. J, lock the doors will you, thanks bud.” Tony ordered, but slowed down. 

“What are you going to do?” Steve asked after a few minutes of silence. 

“What I have to do. I’m going to host The Trials but with a couple conditions.” Tony shrugged. 

“And what are the conditions?” Steve asked. 

“You’ll see.” Tony smirked as they walked into the dining hall. 

He felt Steve harden behind him, turning into the perfect soldier. The perfect Captain. He felt himself lightly shiver as he glanced behind him to see his facial expression. Blank, no emotion. Jaw set, eyebrows furrowed. Tony licked his lips and turned back to open the doors. 

“Anthony, glad you could join us.” Obadiah grinned at him. 

Tony chose to ignore him and turned to his father. He slapped his hands on the hard table, and locked eyes with the man, who unsurprisingly had alcohol in his hand.

“I guess you have come to a decision?” Howard raised eyebrow, then took a long drink from his tumbler full of whiskey. 

“I want to host The Trials, with two conditions.” Tony’s eyes were ablaze. 

“That’s fine. What are they?” Howard leaned in a bit, curiosity getting the best of him. 

“One. I get to choose who I married. Not you. Not Stane. Not the crowd. It’s my decision.” Tony gritted out. 

“That can be done.” Howard nodded. 

“Second, anyone can apply to be in The Trials. With the exception of prisoners, I mean anyone can be in The Trials.” 

There was a sharp inhale from behind him, but Tony ignored it. 

“That would be absurd, Anthony. That won’t happen.” Howard snapped. 

Tony smirked before standing up taller, “I guess I won’t be getting married then.” 

“Oh you will get married.” Howard stood up from his chair. 

Tony took a step back and stared at his father, “Father, how will you marry away a son, if you won’t have one to marry away.” 

With a quick movement, Tony pulled out a small remote. 

“With a simple press of this little buddy, everything will be erased about me. Everything. Even, with the help of a special little satellite, the memory of me.” Tony smirked as Howard froze. 

“You wouldn’t dare.” Howard growled. 

“Oh I would. Now what will it be, father?” Tony grinned. 

There was tense silence as father and son both glared at each other. 

“Obie, write down his request.” Howard ordered. 

“Your Highness-” 

“Do it.” 

Obadiah glared at Tony before pulling out his laptop from his satchel. He quickly typed it up and then turned the screen to show it to the genius. Once Tony read it, and then re-read it, he passed it over to his father, who took a stylus pencil to sign the sheet. 

“It is done.” Howard hissed. 

Tony watched as Obadiah signed it too, then smirked as he saw the paper be sent to the records. 

“Oh man that was tense. Honestly, this would’ve been a lot easier if you agreed. Also this?” Tony waved the little remote, “It’s fake. It’s my old thermostat remote that I found while looking for something to destroy. Thanks, father. Thanks, Stane.” 

Howard cried out and made to lunge at his son, but Tony stopped him with a look, “Or is it?” 

The king froze and stared. 

“I’ll contact Pepper. Ask her about setting up a press conference.” Tony pulled out his phone and began to type away, he paused and looked up, “Thank you, for your cooperation.” 

With a quick turn, Tony walked out of the dinning hall, Steve at his heels. They stayed silent as they walked into the elevator. Then, just as the doors closed, Tony let out a nervous laugh, dropping his phone on the floor. 

“What the fuck.” Steve whispered, a smile tugging at his lips. 

“What the fuck.” Tony parroted and stared up the blonde. 

“Tony.” 

“Steve, what the hell did I just do?” 

“You… You stood up to your father.” 

“Oh my god.” 

“We have to tell the others.” 

“Oh my god.” 

The elevator doors slid open and both men ran out to find the others. 

“Guys you won’t believe what Tony just did!” Steve exclaimed as soon as they spotted them playing some sort of board game. 

Tony felt his phone vibrate and walked a few feet away to answer it, letting Steve tell their friends the story. 

“Hi Pepper.” 

“Tony, press conference in 4 hours. We just announced that The Trials will be held next month, and we will be releasing applications for it at the end of the day.” Pepper informed him, the sound of heels clicking on the floor filled the background. 

“Thanks Pep. I guess we should start preparing? Where do we start?” Tony asked, slowly pacing back and forth. 

“Well there are several steps. I’m stepping into the elevator now. You’re in your penthouse right?” 

“Yes. I have my friends here too.” Tony looked over at them, watching with a soft smile as Sam and Bucky threw popcorn at each others heads. 

Clint was basically sitting on Natasha’s lap, twirling a very wicked knife. Rhodey was talking to Carol, who had just gotten back from a trip overseas. And then glanced at Steve, who was quietly braiding Natasha’s hair. 

“Perfect.” Pepper chirped as the line went dead. 

There was a familiar ding and the elevator doors opened to reveal a stunning Pepper wearing a three piece suit and 4 inch heels. Natasha smiled sweetly at the young woman. 

“Ms. Potts!” Steve smiled and waved her over. 

They spent the next few minutes catching up, everyone getting a hug from the deadly business woman. Pepper walked up to the bar Tony had in his penthouse and grabbed a small bottle of juice. 

“I've been getting many calls, Tony.” Pepper sighed as she gracefully sat on an empty spot. 

“Sorry about that.” Tony scratched the back of his head sheepishly. 

“No. Don’t be sorry. I like what you’re doing.” Pepper waved her hand dismissively, “I came to go over what you will say at the conference since you are in charge of The Trials. Let’s try to keep casualties to a minimum. We should also discuss the what the trials will be.” 

“There’s four right?” Tony walked over and sat in between Rhodey and Steve, throwing his legs on to the blonde’s lap. 

“Usually there is a minimum of four. The biggest trial is last, and there is a gala the night before.” Pepper explained, “The last trial is always the same. The others can be interchangeable. So I did the executive decision to add one, sword fighting. Super simple, it’ll be the first trial we do.” 

“How about aim?” Clint suggested. 

“That’s not bad. We could do a couple levels of that. Standing targets, then moving targets, then targets that attack back.” Pepper nodded. 

“Hand to hand combat?” Steve shrugged a he gently rubbed small circles on Tony’s ankle. 

“I like that. We could do that! We can do that right before the last trial! Just so we can narrow down the competitors.” Pepper typed furiously on her tablet.

“Wait. You said that the last trial is always the same and that it’s the hardest. What is the last trial?” Natasha asked. 

Pepper chewed on her bottom lip, “Dragon slaying.” 

Everyone froze. 

“I thought you said that we will keep casualties to a minimum?” Bucky sputtered out. 

“It’s tradition. It’s the one trial we can’t change.” Pepper explained quietly. 

“Oh my god.” Sam exclaimed and stared. 

“We’ll figure something out. Speciality trained dragons or something.” Pepper waved her hand around as she began to look up dragons specially raised for trials.

“Don’t worry about it.” Tony broke in, his eyes downcast, “I can build the dragons. I just need to make sure they are programmed to stop when the competitor starts getting weak.”

“Tony, no. You destroyed all working dragons so you’re father couldn’t get his hands on them. You’re lucky you still have DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers.” Steve whispered, and laid a hand on Tony’s thigh. 

Tony locked eyes with Steve, smiling softly, “I know. I’ll make sure they are destroyed by the end of the trial. I just don’t want to use real dragons. They’ll be killed.” 

The genius remembered when his father tried to take away his trio of defense dragons. At the end Howard didn’t want them. They were to small and frail to be sent to the battlefield. Plus U couldn’t fly, Butterfingers was too clumsy, and DUM-E wouldn’t stop being a fire extinguisher for 15 minutes straight. 

“Tony, we have to get ready. All the Avengers are coming with us to the conference. Everyone go get ready, Tony take a shower you stink.” Pepper scrunched her nose as she stood up. 

“I’ll walk you out, Ms. Potts.” Natasha smiled sweetly and stood up. 

Tony arched a brow and smirked as the two young women walked to the elevator together, hands gently brushing. With a groan, Tony stood up and stretched. He quickly threw a hand up as he walked to his bathroom Steve not far behind, since he was the only one of the whole group that was dressed up in his formal Avenger uniform. 

“I’ll be here.” Steve muttered and he took a position outside the bathroom door. 

Tony smiled softly as he grabbed some clothes. He felt his stomach twist with nerves. For some reason Tony had a feeling that while The Trials would be a pain to deal with, it would help give him some freedom. Something was going to happen and while he didn’t know what, he was excited for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give me love


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's almost time for the trials and the team is preparing for the event of the decade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! I'm finally out of school so now I can actually work on the dozens of fics I'm working on. I'm hoping to post chapter four in a week or two but I promise it will be a lot sooner!

It took a month of planning before they even announced the official dates of The Trials. While Tony was the one calling the shots on the main details, Pepper took the job of planning and executing everything. Even when Tony complained about her being too busy to relax, she would only shoo him away with the wave of her hand and a hard look. 

And finally,  _ finally _ , the time had come. It was only three days before the huge event of the decade started and Tony couldn’t be more nervous. Stane had been breathing down the back of his neck the last two weeks, mostly to make sure that Tony didn’t back out. But to also give Tony a reminder that he could be forced to marry the older man if Howard agreed.

He had fought and pulled so hard for some freedom, and if this meant being used as a trophy husband, then be it. At least he could get away from here, and take his friends with him. That was a perk of having your own assigned team, who he also happened to love very much. 

“Tony, focus!” Natasha snapped her fingers in front of his face, startling him. 

“What were we talking about again?” Tony asked at no one in particular. 

“I don’t know, something to do with your suitors.” Carol explained as she boredly flipped through a magazine. 

“Boring. Anyone here try out for The Trials for my hand?” Tony looked over at all of them, “Wait… Where’s Steve?” 

Rhodey and Natasha exchanged glances before simultaneously shrugging. 

“Said he needed to train new recruits. Anyways, after the first ball, the first trial will start a day or two later. Once those happen, the winners will be put on a list and you will get to decide who your first picks are. Usually a prince or princess picks about 5, then they will go on a date with them to get to know each other. 

I know you said you didn’t like the idea of a ball so early in the process but it was a request by your father. He wanted to know who the suitors were and see for himself who could be perfect for you. At the end of the day you will get to choose whoever you want to go on a date with, of course your ragtag team of security has to accompany you everywhere. So don’t have sex with anyone.” Pepper explained, writing down little notes on her tablet. 

Tony stuck out his tongue at her, “Party pooper.” 

“We know you wouldn’t even sleep with them if they asked you to.” Bucky sighed and shoved Tony lightly.

“Don’t expose me like this, Barnes.” Tony whined and threw a pillow at his head. 

Bucky caught it with his prosthetic arm and threw it back, hitting Tony in the forehead. The younger man pouted before curling himself deeper into the pile of blankets he had laid on top of himself. It had been weeks since he last spent time with Steve. At least just the two of them. They had been together with the team on a few of their adventures of getting The Trials all together. 

He had heard that there was a wave of several new recruits that were candidates for the Avengers but it wasn't official yet. And if it had been true, Steve would’ve told him. The Avengers were his team too. Sure they were just a team to protect him but to also help the citizens of Manhattan. It was his mother’s dying wish for them to be Tony’s responsibility. But it had been more than that. They were his family now. And Steve was… Steve was the most important person to Tony. 

He missed his presence. Missed his bright smile, and even brighter eyes. His beautiful golden hair that was as soft as the most expensive silk Tony could get a hold of. Missed that strange look he would give to the prince whenever he talked about his inventions. Like he cared about it and wanted to listen to them. He especially missed the way Steve would make Tony feel like he was walking on air. No. Flying through the air. Like the dragons of the far north that Tony had only seen once with his mother. 

“Hey.” A soft voice startled him slightly. 

Tony looked up and blinked at Natasha in surprise. 

“He’s been busy. Trying to make The Trials as safe as possible for you.” She reassured as she softly ran her fingers through his hair, “now why don’t you go shower? We can all go out to eat. Your father has been very busy with making sure the guests traveling here are perfectly accommodated to their needs.” 

“Will St-” 

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late, training took longer than expected.” Steve’s voice interrupted Tony. 

Tony jumped into a sitting position and turned to glance at the young man. Blue eyes turned to look at him, and Tony couldn’t help but grin. He noted how very sweaty the captain was. And how tight the shirt he was wearing was, how it stretched over his ridiculously wide shoulders and wrapped snugly around his waist. 

“Steve! Will you be coming to dinner tonight?” Tony asked hopefully, eyes wide and sparkling. 

“Let me shower first.” Steve said as he walked over and ruffled his hair. 

Tony pouted, but gently pressed closer to him, “I don’t understand why everyone ruffles my hair? Do you guys have obsession or something? I’m not a kid. I'm like a year or two younger than all of you!” 

“But you act like your 2 years old.” Sam joked as Steve walked out of the room to the showers. 

Tony stuck out his tongue before getting out from under his stack of blankets. 

“Rhodes?” Tony nodded to the door, “I’m going to go change. Meet you guys down in the 1st floor.” 

There was a chorus of agreements as Tony began to walk out, Rhodey not far behind. Once they got to Tony’s penthouse, the slightly younger man ran to change into his civilian clothing. Once changed, he slipped on a gold arm bracelet shaped as a dragon on his right arm. He gently ran his finger over it, then smiled softly as the arm bracelet gently vibrated before going still again. 

“Tony, come on!” Rhodey called from outside Tony’s closet. 

“Coming!” Tony shouted back as he slipped on a watch. 

Once happy with his outfit, Tony walked out of his walk in closet and winked at Rhodey, who just rolled his eyes. They both quickly walked down to the main floor, where all his friends were waiting. 

“Thank god. We thought we needed to assemble a man hunt.” Bucky teased, his arm thrown carelessly around Sam’s shoulders. 

“This guy takes so long to just change his pants.” Rhodey teased, shoving Tony lightly. 

The prince let out an indignant cry before shoving back. His best friend retaliated by pushing again. The brunette glared at his friend and right before he could push again, a hand was shoved in his face. 

“Stop it.” Pepper chastised, before pulling her hand away. 

“Pepper? You’re joining us?” Tony asked excitedly. 

“Nat convinced me to come.” Pepper shrugged as Natasha came over to wrap her arm around her waist. 

“Awesome! Now where is the good old captain?” Tony looked around, hoping to see the familiar perfectly combed blonde haired captain. 

“Running late..” Bucky responded just as Steve arrived. 

Tony felt his breath catch in his throat. He had always seen Steve wearing regular clothes. He’d see that same deep blue long sleeve on him countless of times. But this time it looked different. This time is stretched across his shoulders more, looked like the sleeves were going to burst at the seams. 

Steve turned to look at him with a soft smile, then cocked his head to the side slightly, “what?” 

Tony felt heat rise up his neck and he cleared his throat, “you filled up that shirt. Last time you wore it was like a month ago and it was a little baggy.” 

“Oh. I've been working out more. Training does that.” Steve flushed and dragged his hand over his own arm wiping away some nonexistent dust. 

“Are you guys ready? I kind of want to hit a couple stores today.” Rhodey urged them as he opened the front doors of the tower. 

Without hesitation, Steve stepped forward to lead the way and everyone began to follow after. Tony raised a brow as his friends carefully placed him in the center to keep him out of danger. With a scoff, Tony marched forward to walk side by side with the captain. 

They chatted amongst themselves as they walked down the familiar streets, taking only a few secret backways that only they knew. Somewhere in those first few minutes of walking, Tony had wrapped his arm around Steve’s. The latter didn't say anything against it, so Tony decided to keep it there. Even with them enjoying themselves, the genius could sense that they were on high alert. Always working to keep him safe. 

Once they got into their favorite restaurant and ordered their food, the group was finally able to relax. Tony couldn’t help but steal some food from everyone elses plate, especially Steve’s who had gotten an extra order of fries for that same reason. 

“Are you ready for the Trails?” Carol asked, cup in hand. 

“I want them over with. I kinda want to pull a Merida and compete for myself.” Tony admitted as he stole another fry off of Steve’s plate, “So you guys will be my security detail?”

“Yep. Except Steve.” Sam answered, giving Steve a look Tony couldn’t decipher. 

“Oh?” Tony turned to look at the blonde man beside him, “Why?”

“Some stuff came up. I won’t be able to make it the whole time. But I’ll be there.” Steve promised. 

“I had hoped you’d be there the entire time. Who will lead?” Tony twiddled with his fingers. 

“I will.” Carol chimed in before continuing her talk with Pepper, voice lowered down to a whisper. 

Tony nodded before throwing a reassuring smile at Steve, who was watching him carefully. 

“Okay. Just be there when the boring bits happen. Like those damn parties that are held.” 

“I’ll definitely be there for those. We can make fun of the snobby nobles and shit.” Steve grinned, relaxing a bit. 

“God I hate them. They always get too handsy.” Tony shuddered at the mere thought, “I can’t even begin to imagine how they’ll all be during the Trials.” 

They all quickly finished their meals before leaving, Tony haphazardly throwing some bills on the table to pay for the food and tip the server. With Steve leading the way, they all traveled to their favorite shops. Tony smiled gently at Steve, who almost always stayed by his side. 

“Cap, you’ve been with me the entire time. There’s your favorite art store, go spend a little money.” Tony urged gently, “Sam is right here to keep me company. Plus there's that scrap shop I’ve been meaning to look into.” 

Steve gave him a blinding smile and squeezed his arm before walking towards said store. Tony quickly pulled Sam along to the scrap store to find new metals to work with. After looking around for a few minutes, Tony bought some reusable small strips of metal before walking back out. Into an empty street. Sam tensed. 

“This shouldn’t be happening right?” Tony whispered from their unmoving spot. 

“Come on.” Sam hissed lowly and began to walk to the art store a few stores down. 

On cue, 4 men walked out from different alleys. Tony heard a small shuffle over head and noted about 5 other men on the roofs. 

“I really hope we didn’t cause any trouble.” Sam kept his voice calm and level. 

“What could you be doing here your highness?” One of the men broke out. 

Sam slowly took a small step forward, eyes looking around for possible ways out. He was tense, jaw twitching, hands clenching and unclenching. Tony knew why. He hadn’t brought a weapon. The genius felt his dragon arm bracelet twitch. 

“We have a situation.” Sam lowly said, hoping that his earpiece picked it up. 

“Look, just give us the prince. We won’t even hurt him. We just need some extra cash.” The man explained, 

“Starks have a policy to not pay ransom money, bud.” Tony broke in. 

The man shrugged then took out a serrated knife before lunging at Sam. Tony pushed his friend behind him as the dragon arm bracelet loosened and slithered down his arm. The genius felt the head of the dragon press against his palm and swing it’s body outward. The dragon expanded it’s metallic body, turning into a sword. Tony lunged forward. 

The sword clanked against the knife. The man, taken back at the sudden weapon, lost his concentration. Tony could hear his friends running out of the shops as he swung the sword around him, slicing through the other’s knife. The man jumped back, a yell making a way out of his mouth when a fist connected to his jaw. Tony felt satisfaction spread across his chest as the attacker fell to the ground. His knuckles throbbed lightly. 

He turned to watch as the Avengers apprehended the other men that were involved. Petty thieves, and first time kidnappers. 

“Tony are you okay?” Steve asked, eyes filled with concern. 

“I’m great actually, Sam okay?” Tony scanned the gathering of the crowd around them. 

“Knocked out an attacker right as we came out to save you.” Steve explained. 

“The ones on the roof?” 

“Natasha, Buck, and Pepper got those.” 

“Good. No one got hurt?” 

“Just Sam’s dignity.”

“We will never let the fact go that he didn’t bring a weapon for self defense are we?” 

“Nope. What’s that?” 

Tony glanced at the gleaming metal in his hands. With a low hum, the sword retracted back into an arm bracelet. The robotic dragon walked up his arm and curled back into its regular position on Tony’s bicep. 

“A little something to keep me safe.” Tony explained. 

“We’ve had enough excitement today, let’s go home.” Pepper called out from across the street. 

Tony threw her a thumbs up before tugging Steve along. For the rest of the way back, Steve stayed close to the smaller man, making sure to be at least an arms length away. The brunette didn’t mind, he always did like it when the captain got a little overprotective. 

  
  


~~~~~~

  
  


“Come on Tony. You have to wear this.” Pepper hissed, trying to put his royal crown on top of his head. 

“I fucking hate that thing. Get it away from me. Can’t you see I’m deathly allergic.” Tony ducked away again. 

“Tony Stark, you will wear this at least for the opening ceremony. Then I’ll take it off. Now come on.” Pepper gripped his arm. 

Tony groaned but stayed still as the red head gently placed the crown over his head. God he hated the damn thing. He didn’t mind that it was a crown, it was the design that made him repulse. The thing was covered with white sparkling diamonds. It had no design, no artistry. Just a metal base with diamonds glued on. It hurt his eyes. 

Pepper carefully patted down his dark blue suit and adjusted his tie silently. The three days had gone fast, and Tony was now about to face the biggest challenge of his entire life. 

“This thing is fire proof right?” Tony asked. 

“Yeah? All your clothes have been fire proofed since you were 5.” 

“Cool cool.” Tony nodded. 

“You okay?” Natasha asked from her seat on the lounge chair in Tony’s room. 

“Always.” Tony shot her a smile through the reflection of the mirror. 

Carol pressed her finger into her earpiece before responding softly. She was dressed in her royal armor. Black and grey. The assigned color of the Starks. Natasha was also in her armor, same color but with a splash of deep red on her lips. Unlike everyone else, Pepper was dressed to the nines. While her dress was a midnight black, there was a light shimmer of silver at the bottom. The girls looked untouchable and ready to kick people’s ass. Like always. 

“It’s time.” Carol alerted them, before making her way to the elevator. 

Tony sighed and nodded. They all got in the elevator and rode to the ballroom floor. The closer they got to the designated floor, the more emotionless Natasha and Carol got. It was their job but Tony hated how cold they could be. 

The doors swung open, and the crowd parted. Tony stood straight, feeling Pepper place her hand gently on his arm. They walked through the parted crowd, the room filled with beautiful music from the royal orchestra. The genius had to hold back from trying to shy away from the attention. All the eyes watching him. 

While he didn’t mind attention, Tony could not stand this kind of it. Being looked at and judged at by the snobbiest and richest of the whole world. The only attention he wanted was from his friends. From Steve especially. Once he arrived at the table designated for him and his father, Pepper bowed her head and went to sit at another table close to their own. Natasha and Carol slotting behind him, backs to the wall. 

Howard looked around at the crowd as they applauded softly. Tony wanted to roll his eyes but if he did, he would get into some serious trouble. That was the last thing he wanted. 

His father stood, ceasing the crowd. He looked down at them, the stage they were set up on made that easier, and after a second or two, Howard began to speak which immediately bored his son. He quickly scanned the crowd for familiar faces, noting that his friends were mostly around the stage to protect him from any attack. His father’s personal security were hovering behind him, making Tony’s neck prickle. 

There was a roar of applause from the crowd, which snapped Tony back into reality. Howard sat back down with a satisfied smile as Obadiah walked up the stage and to the podium they had placed a few feet away from the table. 

“It’s an honor having you all here. You’ve all come from all around the world and seeing the different cultures and languages all blending together like a melting pot brings so much warmth to this old heart. These next few weeks will go down in history as the biggest and most successful Trials that there has ever been. 

Now I know you all have been waiting for this, who are the contestants of the Trials? Let’s bring them in. They’ve all been waiting patiently for this moment. Please welcome our amazing contestants from all over the world!” 

The crowd began to cheer as a door to the side of the ballroom opened and men and women began to walk in. Tony wanted to shrink in his chair and looked around for Steve’s familiar face but couldn’t find him. He locked eyes with Rhodey, who smirked at him before turning back to face the contestants. 

Tony frowned for a split second before looking back up as the contestants lined up in front of the stage, facing them. The genius wanted to fuck it all and walk out or glare at them but instead he reached in his pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. Quickly, he slid them on and placed his hands on his lap to keep from people seeing them twitch from nerves. 

He scanned the contestants again once they all had lined up, and almost dropped his wine glass. Tony had an urge to shoot up from his chair when he noticed who was in the line. 

“... We are also so proud to host the royal family of Wakanda and Asgard. Prince T’Challa and Thor have bravely volunteered for our boy’s hand...” 

There was no way those two kingdoms would ever do something like that. The princes were too independent and too chivalrous to sign up for a stupid game where they paraded their strengths to get the hand of another prince or princess. 

That’s when he locked eyes with deep ocean blue eyes. Familiar deep ocean blue eyes. He straightened in his chair as he slowly took off his sunglasses. His breath was caught in his throat, and his entire body seemed to relax from just locking eyes alone. There, standing with one of the most brightest smiles in the whole ballroom, dressed in a beautiful white and light blue suit, stood Steve Rogers. His Steve Rogers. The same one that he thought was avoiding him. 

They stayed staring at each other, Tony’s lips stretching into a wide smile. There was his best friend in line to take his hand. To compete with princes and princesses for Tony. He should send a thank you card to Pepper for that suit. It was too angelic and looked so well tailored to not be hand picked by Pepper herself. 

After naming the contestants, Obadiah clapped his hands to commence the ball. The contestants all stayed where they were as Tony gracefully got up from his chair. Natasha and Carol stepped forward, faces blank and cold. They followed their friend down the stairs, making sure to glare at the contestants that tried to get to close. When the passed Tiberius Stone, Carol shot him a deadly stare making the prince wince away hard enough to take a step back. 

“What are you two doing here?” Tony asked, stopping in front of T’Challa and Thor. 

“Heard that they were forcing you to marry someone. Might as well be a friend.” Thor shrugged, light playful smile on his lips. 

Tony placed his hand over his heart, “my hero. What about you T’Challa?” 

“My sister thought it would be funny to sign me up for this.” The prince responded. 

“And here I thought you were here for my rugged good looks and wit.” Tony smirked before bowing his head as he departed. 

He could only think about one person he wanted to be with for the rest of the night. He slowly walked passed a couple more contestants, shooting a glare to Justin Hammer as he passed by. Finally he stepped in front of Steve. The friends quietly studied each other. After a few tense seconds, they both broke out into a grin before Steve offered his hand. 

“Your highness, would you dance with me?” Steve asked softly. 

Tony took his hand and squeezed, “of course.” 

They both took their time to walk to the dance floor, ignoring the stares they were getting. Ignoring the whispers. Ignoring the unapproving glares. Tony and Steve knew what they were doing. The genius had picked a dance partner, meaning that the one he picked was holding his interest the most. And the captain had offered a dance and not the prince. It was customary that the prince should offer the dance, but with those two, it didn’t apply. Tony had also communicated with two other princes, another symbol of favoritism among the contestants. 

They gracefully took to the floor, dancing like they were the only ones in the room. They spun around each other, moved to the music like they were one. 

“So this is what you meant by things came up?” Tony asked as Steve twirled him. 

“I wanted to keep it a surprise.” Steve shrugged, smiling softly. 

“I’m glad at least one of my friends would save me from this mess.” 

“Hey, I gotta do what I gotta do. Is it okay?” 

“More than okay. Out of all my friends, I’m glad its you.” 

“Good. Then this would’ve been awkward.”

The two friends grinned at each other as they gracefully glided through the crowd. They danced for several songs, chatting and laughing. With every song they seemed to get closer. After over an hour they finally decided to part. The two young men bowed before Steve escorted him back to the royal table. As they approached, Howard stood up from his chair and shook Steve’s hand. 

“I was not expecting you to do this, Captain.” Howard admitted, waving his hand to a nearby server. 

“I hope it is alright, your Majesty.” Steve responded, voice clipped. 

“More than alright. Tony needs someone like you to keep him from doing those reckless endeavours.” 

Tony resisted the urge to snap back at his father, instead took the liberty to pick off a piece of lint from his suit. Steve’s jaw tightened but bowed his head in respect before stepping back as the dinner bell was rung. 

Once everyone was seated and the food was set on the tables, Obadiah stood up to make another boring speech. Tony poked at his citrus glazed salmon and pointedly ignoring everything that was being said. He couldn’t help but look over at Steve once in a while, who was seating in between T’Challa and Thor listening to the giant blonde talk probably about some new weapon his blacksmiths had created. 

“... Our Prince, Anthony Stark!” 

Oh right, his speech. Or at least his announcement of the trials the contestants would have to face. With quick movements, Tony slid on his sunglasses, wincing as some of the contestants whispered and glared. Once he reached the podium, he clasped his hands on top of the flat surface and stared at the crowd. 

“I’m just going to be real quick about this since I have some business to attend to, it’s a pleasure to see you all here. We have to do this again some day. When my life isn’t being sold ou-wait I didn’t mean to say that. 

What I did mean to say is that, I’m hoping we all enjoy these next few days, or weeks. The first little challenge we will have is easy enough. A sword battle to test your skills. You laugh but I promise you, the targets you will be tested on are some of the best in this country. Tomorrow will be a warm up of sorts. You get to choose your blade if you don’t already have them, then you will take to the training floors or grounds if you choose.

I will attend a few of the training sessions to make sure no one is getting too hurt. My personal guards will be with me the entire time so no funny business because I promise you, you will regret it. Again, I’m super glad to have you all attend this beautiful ceremony, and whoever is the winner, I hope you aren’t a jerk.” Tony shot the crowd his famous paparazzi smile before stepping away from the podium. 

The music started immediately, resuming the party. While Tony knew he should’ve gone to introduce himself to the other players but he couldn’t help but gravitate to Steve. Again, T’Challa and Thor were still with him, all paying close attention to another grand story for sure. 

“Your Highness…” All three of them greet, Steve’s lips are stretched into a teasing smile. 

“I hate that. You three know I hate when people call me that.” Tony hissed, slapping Thor on the arm lightly.

As the night progressed Tony made sure to stay close to at least one of his three friends, mostly that being Steve. He really didn’t have the heart to deal with idiotic people or selfish competitors. Finally when the clock struck 1 am, the party began to die down and Howard began ordering the servants around to take those who would be staying in the tower back to their rooms. Once Tony got the go ahead, he quietly followed his friends back to his penthouse to rest, but not before making sure that Steve was getting to dorm near him. 

“God I wanted to punch them in the nose. Can’t they see I’m doing my job.” Sam complained to Carol as they entered the familiar floor. 

“Get used to it. I’m glad my armour is not revealing, I would’ve punched people in the face if it was. Man, all they see is a girl and they start to salivate.” Carol muttered darkly. 

“Yeah well they could at least appreciate my ass. This armor was professionally fitted and personalized, and you know what I get? Nothing. Not even a subtle look.” Bucky whined as he sprawled on the nearest couch. 

Tony rolled his eyes and began to slide off his jacket. He had so much going through his head. He didn't want to host The Trials, he didn’t want to get married right away, but now with Steve in the mix to help him out, Tony didn’t want his training to go down the drain.  And maybe he was holding on to the hope that Steve liked Tony back, that maybe this would get them closer than they already were. It was all hopeful dreaming though. Steve was incredible, he would have never liked the spoiled prince Tony was. 

After a few minutes, Tony silently bid his friends goodnight as they left for the night, patting Sam and Natasha on the shoulder as they took guard in their designated spots for the night. The genius didn’t know what to feel or think or act with what his life had become. He silently changed into his silk sleeping clothes and flopped himself on the bed with little grace. 

He was not tired, too jittery from the party to think straight. Tony was so lost in thought he almost missed the door of his room opening. The prince jumped from the bed and reached for his sword to defend himself till he realized who was walking over. Natasha smiled softly and plopped herself beside him and stared the ceiling, Tony following soon after. They stayed like that for a while, listening to the sounds of the city. 

“Jarvis…” Tony whispered. 

The city noises quieted only to be replaced by the sounds of waves splashing on the sea shore and against rocks. They again stayed quiet for a while. Their shoulders lightly touching, both of their eyes facing the ceiling. Then Natasha reached over and lightly took hold of Tony’s hand and squeezed. Tony relaxed under her touch. 

“Whatever happens Tony, we will all stay by your side.” She soothed softly. 

“I know you will.” Tony turned to give her a small smile. 

“Good.” Natasha returned the smile before looking back the ceiling. 

They grew quiet again, hands still connected. Tony felt the familiar tug of drowsiness start to press against his eyes. Felt as his muscles began to relax, and his breath even out. 

“We have something on Stane.” Natasha announces abruptly, snapping Tony awake. 

“What kind of stuff?” He says carefully as he slowly pulls himself into a sitting position. 

“The kind of stuff that could put him in jail for treason. It’s just rumors. Whispers.” 

“Is it something we could investigate? Stuff we can dig into?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then what are we waiting for?”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you thought! if you are confused about something let me know and I'll try to answer them!

**Author's Note:**

> I will try to update every week! Please let me know what you think.


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